By Any Other Name
by Kodiak Sage
Summary: Now that Garrus and Shepard have had their "first date" Shepard is ready to move on to the second date. Unfortunately, their nosy crew is running interference. Takes place druing ME3. Shepard(F)/Garrus Lots of Fluff.


By Any Other Name

By Kodiak Sage

Now that Garrus and Shepard have had their "first date" Shepard is ready to move on to the second date. Begins during the "party" portion of the Citadel DLC in ME3. Shepard(F)/Garrus

Warning: Sexual Content. Also really bad humor and spoilers through ME3.

* * *

Commander Shepard's epic citadel house party was winding down. The dancing was done, for better or for worse, and people were drifting off to sleep in their seats. A few had moved to beds or couches nearby to sleep off the effects of all the alcohol Shepard had provided. Garrus took Shepard's hand and led her to her bedroom—the one at the top of the stairs in the back that she had claimed as "hers" in an apartment that still felt about as much like home as a hotel. It still didn't feel as much "hers" as the captain's cabin on the Normandy, but it was growing on her a little. Making memories there, with Garrus and her crew, and the fact that her armor was in the closet and her guns were on their rack certainly helped.

In the still sparsely decorated room, Garrus leaned in for a kiss, which Shepard returned giddily, her hands wandering across his back, her lips wandering across his neck. Garrus nuzzled her in return, flicking his long rough tongue over the tip of her ear and making her shiver with desire. She loved the feeling of his strong body against her, especially when she was feeling relaxed and vulnerable after drinking so much. This would be a wonderful memory to contribute towards belonging here. Hell, maybe after they saved Earth and Palaven they could take a few months sabbatical, just the two of them on the Silver Sun Strip, living like civilians and enjoying the fruits of a saved galaxy.

Garrus paused his tongue's journey down Shepard's chest and looked towards the doorway, where there were slots for doors, but no doors to be seen no matter how much they had finagled the control panel on the wall nearby. "Shepard, there's no door on your room. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"We'll be quiet." Shepard assured him. They'd done it quietly in the main battery on the Normandy after all—though the battery did not lack for doors.

"But Tali is right there on the couch out there—"

"You'd better be thinking about me, not Tali" Shepard commanded. She pushed him down onto the bed and climbed onto his lap. Garrus' only response was a groan of pleasure. If the commander commanded it, what was a simple soldier to do?

Shepard's hips ground into his and she pushed him back onto the bed so she was straddling him. She slithered out of her dress and flung it at the wall, soon followed by her lacy black bra. Neither of them heard the little beep when the clothing hit a control panel on the wall.

#

There was a soft chiming noise next to Joker's head, and then the sound of heavy breathing filled Joker's ear. He roused suddenly from his drunken half-slumber on the couch in Shepard's sitting room. He'd fallen asleep at the bar, but someone must have moved him because EDI was cuddled up beside him, seemingly watching him sleep.

"Jeff, is something wrong?"

"Shhhhhhhhhhh I hear something." Jeff said. EDI tilted her head.

"I hear many things Jeff. Grunt is snoring loudly in a puddle of water in one of the bathrooms. Kasumi is giggling—"

"NO nononono. Something else. Like my comm. Or something. What if we're being infiltrated? What if there's a clone of someone else around?" Panic began to overcome him through the alcohol-soaked fog in his mind.

"Perhaps you hear the intercom. I detect that a signal has suddenly begun being broadcast from Commander Shepard's sleeping quarters into the rest of the apartment. Probably an accident."

"What are we still doing awake?" James asked in a slurred voice from behind the couch where he had passed out earlier.

But Joker wasn't to be deterred. He was convinced that whatever was happening, it was important. He needed to find out what was going on. "I swear I hear something. Where's the intercom?"

"The nearest intercom is located on the wall directly behind you," EDI said helpfully. Joker scrambled over to the intercom and listened closely. Sure enough, he could hear two muffled voices talking about something. He raised the volume dial.

#

"So, Mr. Garrus Vakarian," Shepard murmured. "You got me to bring you home. Now convince me that ravishing you is a good idea." She leaned in closer, her bare chest sweeping across his. She was eager to continue their just-met roleplay that they had begun in that bar on the Strip the night before.

Garrus caught on right away from the silky lilt in her voice. "I could show you how some of those dance moves translate into the bedroom." He suggested in his suave, sexy voice. He reached down and pulled her knee up, forcing her to lay flat on top of him. "And, um…I could show you my…equipment. I have very good aim."

"I'll bet you do. I like big guns. Big, Turian guns." She traced the blue facial tattoos with a delicate finger, and then followed it up with more kissing. Garrus chuckled at her banter and then groaned under her attentions.

"Shepard…"

"Call me Rose." Shepard said silkily. She snaked her arms up his, pinning them over his head.

"Wait, is that your real name?"

"Yeah, why?" Shepard sat up, puzzled at the break in their romantic role-playing.

"I just never knew, that's all. It's pretty." Garrus reassured her. "Come back down here and kiss me again, Rose."

Shepard smiled and leaned back down, ready to resume their foreplay, but then she stopped. "Garrus, we've been sleeping together for how long now, and you never bothered to ask me my _name_?"

Garrus gaped stupidly at her for a minute, then he smirked. "Technically Shepard, this is only our second date."

Shepard laughed, her good natured affection for Garrus winning over her indignation at his lack of attention to details like names. "Now tell me something about yourself that I don't know," She ordered between kisses.

#

The intercom was static-y, but there were definitely voices. Joker snapped up the volume just in time to broadcast the next sentence loud enough for everyone downstairs to hear the commander's voice clear as day.

_"…We've been sleeping together for how long now, and you never bothered to ask me my name?" _

The next part of the conversation was drowned out by Joker and Vega's howling laughter, the rest cut off by EDI leaning forward and cutting the power to the intercom completely.

"Commander Shepard prefers that her sexual encounters with Officer Vakarian be kept as private as possible" EDI informed the two men primly. "She often requests that I turn off all recording devices in the Main Battery for a specified amount of time. It does not seem polite to eavesdrop on them at this time."

Joker made a face. "I preferred to think that they were calibrating the Thanix Cannon, not each other,"

"What is the Commander's first name EDI?" Vega asked.

"You will have to ask Shepard that question James. I am not authorized to give out the Commander's personal information to just anyone." EDI said.

"I think it starts with a J." Joker volunteered. "J names are pretty badass, you have to admit."

"Hell yeah they are," James seconded.

"What is going on over here?" Liara and Kasumi, who had been sleeping on the couches on the other side of the wall, approached small crowd gathered around the intercom controls. "Who was that on the intercom? Was that Shepard?" Liara had dark circles under her eyes, and her arms were crossed over her chest. Her nice party dress was rumpled from sleep. Kasumi, on the other hand, looked as dark and mysterious as ever with her hood fixed firmly in place.

"It seems that Shepard is having an argument with someone." EDI informed Liara and Kasumi diplomatically.

"Yeah, someone she's also been sleeping with." Jibed Vega.

"I thought that Shepard and Garrus were together. Did something happen?" Liara asked. She appeared to be genuinely concerned. "Oh, I hope everything is alright between them."

"Maybe something is wrong. If Shepard and Garrus got into a fight, someone could seriously get hurt," Kasumi said. Her voice sounded innocent, but everyone who knew her understood that she was anything but.

"Maybe we should send someone up to go check on them." Joker suggested. His voice didn't manage to sound quite so innocent. "Where's Grunt?"

#

Garrus was going crazy with all the little kisses and nibbles. His hands were exploring Shepard's chest and back, the sensitive palms of his hands feeling out the smooth feminine skin. He was getting impatient though. He needed more. He pulled Shepard in close and rolled her over so that he could be on top, then stripped out of his civilian jacket and undershirt. Beneath him, Shepard's hands were messing with the clasp on his pants, struggling to get it open.

"I want to see that gun you mentioned," She said with a smile.

"Just show me the target." Garrus said. He leaned over to run his tongue along her collarbone. His teeth grazed her shoulder gently, and he growled his pleasure when Shepard's hands managed to get the clasp on his pants undone and slip one hand inside to calibrate the gun.

A horrible, guttural, raging roar interrupted them, and Shepard looked up to see Grunt barreling through the doorless entry to her bedroom, head down, fists up, ready to spew some Krogan justice at…what exactly?

"GRUNT!" Shepard roared right back at him from her position underneath Garrus, who had reached to the side of the bed to find his pistol which was, fortunately for Grunt, not there. "STAND DOWN SOLDIER!"

A feminine squeal of distress was heard, and suddenly a disoriented Tali appeared behind Grunt. "Shepard, he just came roaring up the stairs and ran in here—" Her eyes fell on the couple on the bed and she squealed again, this time covering her face-plate with both hands. "Oh Keelahi!"

Grunt, meanwhile, had done as instructed and stood down. Shortly after Tali's exclamation, the young Krogan realized what Shepard and Garrus had actually been doing. He erupted into a hearty belly laugh, much to Shepard's irritation. Shepard threw Garrus off of her and stood up, one hand over her chest to unsuccessfully hide her bare breasts. "Tali! Grunt! What are you two doing? Are you still drunk? Get out of here!"

Grunt backed away satisfied, still chuckling to himself. "Don't blame me! It was the rest of your blasted crew that woke me up and told me that Garrus was attacking you—and with a Turian, who can tell the difference between killing and mating?"

"I didn't know anything about it Commander!" Tali shouted from the other room. "And I didn't see anything either!"

"Doors." Shepard said through gritted teeth. "Next upgrade to this apartment is going to be doors."

#

Downstairs, Joker and the others were rolling around laughing their asses off. Even Liara found it kind of funny, despite her dismay at Shepard's embarrassment.

"Don't worry Liara, they still have a couple days leave to do all the calibrating they want without us sleeping one room away," Cortez said with a smile. He had been unfortunate enough to be sleeping in the room adjacent to the bathroom Grunt had been occupying and been woken up when Joker and James stormed up to rile the Krogan into 'saving' Shepard from a domestic mishap. Cortez hoped that Shepard could find the funny side of the situation—if he'd been in her position, he wasn't sure he would be able to.

Joker was unapologetic. "Serves them right for doing it in on the crew deck. I mean, come on! We all have to work there!"

"How do you know that they haven't done it right here on this couch?" Samantha Traynor asked. "Or the kitchen counter? Countertops are at the perfect height for…ah…certain kinds of fun." She had been in the study reading a little bit and come out to investigate when she heard people stomping up and down the stairs. "Okay, I don't like thinking about the Commander and Garrus doing that."

"Yeah, thanks for that thought Traynor!" Joker said sarcastically.

"I don't think I _can_ imagine that. I've never even actually seen a naked Turian," Kasumi admitted.

"Not even in Fornax?" James asked without thinking. "Not that I…uh…"

Luckily for him, Grunt and Tali came tromping down the stairs at that moment. Grunt was still chuckling in his infuriatingly self-satisfied way, and Tali was walking with her hands over her face-plate.

"Sorry about that Tali, we didn't mean to get you involved. We just wanted to give the commander and Garrus a little scare," James said. Grunt thumped the burly marine on the back good naturedly. Anyone else would have crashed to the floor under the impact.

"That was a great joke! Very convincing! I thought he was eating her chest-humps!"

There was a general chorus of disgust expressed at that vivid, unwelcomed image.

#

The mood was ruined, and Shepard and Garrus lay flat on their backs on the bed, side by side, with no inclination towards anything sexual. Both of them were still barely dressed, but neither made a move to pursue romance.

"Are you okay Shepard? That can't have been pleasant for you."

"Oh? How do you know that I don't have an exhibitionist streak in me?" Shepard rolled over and propped herself up on one elbow so she could look down at him. "I didn't care that there wasn't a door, right?"

"I think I might object to that on the grounds that I want you all for myself. No voyeurs allowed. Next time I'll be sure to have my gun at the ready."

"That should deter interruptions."

Garrus stroked the top of her head affectionately. "As soon as all these fools leave I promise we'll have a nice long soak in that fancy bathtub of yours," he said. "And I promise I'll call you Rose at least once."

"What are we waiting for? Let me throw a shirt on and we'll kick these lazy moochers out onto the street right now!"

Garrus chuckled and kissed her softly. "What a kind Commander you are. Come here and get some rest. I don't mind just being with you tonight." He pulled her close and draped an arm around her, then pulled the blanket up to cover them both. Shepard was warm and comfortable beside him, the rise and fall of his chest was a beautiful backdrop and his heavy breathing was her soundtrack. The alcohol in her system and the excitement of the evening had tired her out more than she realized.

"This totally doesn't even count as second date." Shepard said just as she closed her eyes. "Just so you know."

"Even though I learned your name?"

Shepard's only response was a sleepy smile.

#

Shepard and Garrus headed downstairs to the kitchen when they were awoken by the clattering of dishes and pans. Coffee was brewing her coffee-pot, milk and biscuits were setting out on the counter, and the less hung-over crew members were huddled around the island where Vega was enthusiastically cooking some eggs.

"Good morning Commander," Vega chirped at her, fresh as presidium flower. "Eggs?"

Shepard slid onto a stool. "Yes please. We all need to eat and then you all need to scram. I have some urgent business with Vakarian that apparently cannot be conducted when you jerks are within ten miles."

"To be fair Shepard, there wasn't even a door on your room." Traynor said.

"And you left the intercom on…kind of." Liara added. Her soft voice was almost apologetic.

"Oh God." Shepard held a hand over her eyes. "What did you hear?"

"Nothing much Shepard," Liara said quickly. "Don't worry about it."

The all continued to eat in peace until Garrus finally came down.

"So how long do you usually date a woman before you find out her name, Garrus?" Vega asked in his most mock-innocent voice. Shepard nearly choked on her eggs but Garrus was able to play it off cool.

"When I have a girlfriend, we don't do a lot of _talking_, if you know what I mean."

James laughed, but he left the subject alone, much to everyone's relief.

#

When everyone else was finally gone, Shepard took Garrus up on his hot-tub offer. With an empty apartment and nothing else to do, they were free to romance to their heart's content.

Garrus stood behind Shepard in the large luxurious bathroom and peeled away her clothes slowly. He was quite good at it after months of practice, his nimble talons even managing to unhook her bra without breaking anything. She rubbed against him, her firm body pressing against his growing arousal, her hands stroking his waist and thighs. Garrus closed his eyes and groaned his pleasure. He was itching to get out of his own clothes and take her into that hot bubbling tub, but he knew that Shepard usually needed more foreplay before they could get to the really fun part—which was why he was surprised when she yanked his pants down and leaned forward so that she was bent all the way over. She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder and raised a sultry eyebrow in invitation.

Garrus couldn't help it, he wasted no time in entering her. His hands were on either side of her waist and he pulled her close, filling her completely. Shepard herself gasped and arched her back in response. The feeling of him taking her from behind was so different from what they usually did, so strange and good at the same time, she could hardly stand it. She reached out and gripped the edge of the vanity to support herself, then gyrated her hips to feel the friction.

Garrus leaned over her back, his legs placed wide for balance. He licked her softly along the nape of her neck and her ear, his hands cupping her firm round breasts. He was going slow, controlling himself to give her time to work up to an orgasm. Shepard let out a ragged, encouraging moan. "Harder Garrus," she said softly.

No further urging was needed. The Turian moved his hands to her hips and thrust harder each time, rocking their bodies, causing them both to breath in long panting breaths. The pressure and pleasure were building up to an incredible height. Garrus knew he was about to finish. He leaned over to press his mouth to the back of Shepard's neck and whispered, "I love you Rosa," just as he came.

Shepard spluttered even as she clenched down and shivered with orgasm. "WHO?" She ground out, pulling away from him even as he finished with a long grunt of satisfaction.

"What? You asked me to call you Rosa!" Garrus said. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. He wasn't ready for her to just run off—usually they had several minutes of post-coital kissing and touching before they even went to clean up.

"It's _Rose_ not _Rosa_!" Shepard said. She looked utterly heartbroken at his mistake, which made Garrus feel like a scum-sucking pirate. But at least she was still in his arms.

"I'm sorry! At least I tried! And I was close, right?"

"Since when does 'close' cut it for a sniping expert?!"

"Come on, Shepard, I thought that the date-and-name-thing was just a joke anyway." Garrus offered, but it was half-hearted. "I really am sorry."

Shepard pulled away and sunk into the bathtub. Her face was a study in human sulking. She crossed her arms over her chest and quirked an eyebrow at him. "Prove it."

Garrus knew that the only way to recover from this was to offer her some emotional connection to make up for his flub. "How about we finish up our conversation from last night? I never did tell you something you don't know about me."

Shepard's anger softened and she beckoned for him to come into the tub with her. Garrus sunk into it blissfully. The water was so hot it was turning Shepard's skin pink, but to Garrus it was just right.

"My first week on the Normandy, back when we were chasing Saren, I had a very inappropriate dream about you and me, which is why I was so formal and stiff with you for so long. I could hardly look at you without remembering it."

Shepard laughed. "I had no idea! What happened in this dream?"

"Oh, we've long since fulfilled it Shepard." Garrus assured her.

"Tell me something else. Tell me about your first time." Shepard lurched over to sit beside him in the soothing bubbling tub and rested her head on his shoulder. Garrus stroked her scalp with his talons, thinking quietly for a moment.

"I was 17, and she was the sister of a friend I went to the basic with. I was at their house one weekend during a break and she walked in on me…ah…calibrating myself…in the bathroom. She seemed so old and wise at the time—all of 19 years. She confessed that she'd had a crush on me ever since the first time I came out to their compound years ago with her brother, and offered to help me out." Garrus laughed, shaking his head at the memory. "We fucked in that bathroom three times that weekend and her brother never knew! Of course, I did the honorable thing and told him after we went back to training. He was so pissed we ended up fighting and had latrine duty together for a week!"

"Did you ever see her again?" Shepard asked, fascinated and amused by the idea of a young Garrus valiantly telling his friend that he'd slept with his sister.

"I did, actually. We screwed around a few times on my breaks, but after I finished training and moved on to ship duty, we lost contact. She stayed on Palaven and trained to be a field medic. I don't know what happened to her, or if she's even still…" Garrus trailed off, and Shepard knew that he was thinking of the state of Palaven with the Reapers destroying it even now as they took their shore leave together.

"What about you Shepard, who was your first love? Do I need to be jealous?"

"He's dead," Shepard sighed. "His name was Colton. We were both 16 and had known each other for years at school. He was incredibly smart, and wonderful at Calculus. He used to come to my house after school and 'tutor' me several times a week—which just meant lots of groping and kissing and frustration. Then one day I went to the clinic and started my contraceptive shots at and the next tutoring session, while my parents were in the next room, we made awkward teenaged love."

"What happened to him?" Garrus asked gently.

"He was killed in the Batarian pirate raid that killed my whole family. It was only…about a week after we first slept together. I didn't really…I didn't date anyone for a very long time after that, though I had plenty of offers."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago." Shepard shrugged. "It's weird thinking about it. No one really ever called me Rose after that. I joined the Alliance as soon as I was old enough, and it was Private Shepard and so on ever since. It's like I stopped being Rose after my family died."

"Why did you want me to call you Rose then?"

Shepard kissed Garrus gently on his unscarred cheek. "At first it was just part of the joke I guess—first names are so much more intimate. I'd feel weird if I just called you 'Vakarian' all the time. It feels like that name belongs to your family and not just you."

"I get that. 'Officer Vakarian' always reminds me of my father." Garrus said.

"But then I was thinking about it, and suddenly it started to have more meaning than just a joke. Rose is what my family called me."

"I see." Garrus held her close. He could smell the soft fragrance of her hair, the salty tang of her sweat.

"You're the closest thing I have to family anymore Garrus," Shepard said. Her voice was quiet, hesitant, and serious.

This soft confession was the sweetest thing Garrus had ever heard come out of Shepard's mouth. He leaned down and kissed her gently, his mouth pressing against her soft moist lips, his tongue feeling hers. He was probably the only person in the galaxy who would describe Commander Shepard as "sweet," and he was glad. Her trust in him made him feel like whole man capable of anything. Their exclusivity made him feel like the luckiest man in the universe.

"I love you Shepard. You don't have to be anyone but yourself with me. Not even Rose, if you don't want to."

"I know Garrus. That's why I love you."

THE END


End file.
